Growing Your
Testimony
Do you ever occasionally feel a bit overwhelmed because you
don’t think you have a super strong or large Testimony?
Sometimes it can seem hard when you listen to other people’s
testimonies who have been studying the gospel for decades. It would be
impossible to gain a testimony on all the principles of the gospel all at once.
When I was in about 7th grade, suddenly in math
class they started introducing letters of the alphabet into the equations. You
may know this is as algebra. You may have even caught on quickly, but lets just
say I did not. Still haven’t. It was
very confusing to me, at that age, and of course would be even more ridiculous
if the expectation in Kindergarten would have been there.
Somehow in principles of learning outside of the gospel, we
seem to instinctively understand that it takes lots of time and study to learn
subjects, or life skills, yet in the gospel we often become impatient with
ourselves when we don’t seem to have an absolute knowledge of all the
principles of the gospel all at once.
A testimony is meant to grow slowly. In 2 Nephi it says
“Line upon Line, precept upon precept. This is meant to be for your whole life.
How do we build or grow our testimony?
Lets picture your testimony like a tree. It first grows
roots and a main trunk and then a couple of branches start to shoot out. More
branches come later. The foundation or roots
and trunk of your testimony are based on 5 basic principles:
1) Knowing
Heavenly Father lives and that he loves each of His children (you are a Child
of God)
2) Jesus
Christ lives and is the Son of God. He carried out the Atonement on our behalf.
3) Joseph
Smith is a prophet of God who was called to restore the gospel.
4) The
church is led by living prophet’s today.
5) The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the Saviors true church on the
earth .
The branches of your testimony tree slowly over time can be
on endless number of principles, such as Baptism, Faith, Obedience, the
Creation, The Sacrament, Prayer, the Plan of Salvation, Hope, The priesthood, Temples , Tithing. And it goes on and on.
As I talk about ways to increase or grow your testimony
these things also work to continually nourish and strengthen your testimony
foundation as well.
The word grow is a verb, an action word, I guess that means
we need to actually do things to grow and nourish our testimonies. Let’s look
to the scriptures to found out how we can grow our testimonies.
In Alma
chapter 33 we are at the point in the Book of Mormon, where Alma and Amulek are
prophets on a mission to teach the Zoramites who have fallen away from the
gospel. Alma
has just finished testifying to the people and in Chapter 33 the people ask
them a question:
vs. 1: Now after Alma had spoken these words, they sent forth unto him desiring to know whether they should believe in one God, that they might obtain this fruit of which he had spoken or how they should plant the seed, or the word of which he had spoken. Which he said must be planted in their hearts: or in what manner they should begin to exercise their faith.
vs. 1: Now after Alma had spoken these words, they sent forth unto him desiring to know whether they should believe in one God, that they might obtain this fruit of which he had spoken or how they should plant the seed, or the word of which he had spoken. Which he said must be planted in their hearts: or in what manner they should begin to exercise their faith.
The rest of Chapter 33 Alma answers the people with 3 things
they can begin to do to plant, nourish and grow their testimonies:
1) Prayer.
In the Doctrine and Covenants
Section 8 I am going to read part of vs. 1: “I say unto you that as assuredly
as the Lord liveth, who is your God and your Redeemer, even so surely shall you
receive a knowledge of whatsoever things you shall ask in faith, with an honest
heart, believing that you shall receive a knowledge of my scriptures of which
has been by the manifestation of my spirit.
Let me share a story on gaining a
testimony of prayer:
When my oldest child, Josh was
about 10 or so it was my birthday and a good friend had taken me out to lunch
at a nearby restaurant. When I reached home and got out of the car, I went to take off my prescription sunglasses
and put on my brand new glasses, but I couldn’t find them anywhere.
Josh came out to help me look in
the car and in the driveway and yard, but they could not be found. I told Josh
I would drive back to the restaurant and see if I dropped them there or in the
parking lot and would be back shortly.
While I was gone, with Faith in his
heart, Josh later told me that he knew that Heavenly Father knew where those
glasses were, and he would ask him to help him find them.
He said a prayer asking for help. He then got up, went back outside to the driveway and immediately found them.
For Josh, that simple experience
forever changed the principle of Prayer from having faith that prayer works, to
an absolute knowledge that prayer works.
Behold I say unto you they are made
known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold I have fasted and prayed many
days that I might kow these things of myself, and now I do know of myself that
they are true: for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy
Spirit: and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me.
Have you prayed with faith and
asked your Heavenly Father? You may need
to pray more times than Josh did, even
many days, but if you have faith, he will manifest the truth your are seeking
to your heart.
The prophet Spencer w. Kimball
taught: “Each time the Lord answers a prayer, my knowledge that he does answer
prayer is strengthened. This knowledge expands my faith and confidence in those
times when his answers do not come as quickly or when his timing is different
than my own”.
2) The
second step to grow your testimony that Alma
teaches us is to read and understand the scriptures.
3)
We can not believe, ponder or
understand what we don’t read.
In the New Testament John 5:39 it
says: Search the scriptures for in them
ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
STORY: a few years back when Josh was preparing to serve a
mission in a far away land I was quite concerned. My first child leaving home,
and heading somewhere I did not see
coming, so I was struggling to exercise my faith enough to let go of the
worries that were in heart.
I had been praying to have peace in my heart, and it came
time to take Josh through the temple prior to his leaving for his mission to Taiwan . While
in the temple I had a few moments alone. Just me, my prayer, and not surprising
a set of scriptures on the table beside where I was sitting.
As soon as I spotted the scriptures I instantly knew that
the peace I was seeking would be found in those scriptures.
I opened them up and they fell open to D & C 31. My eyes
fell upon vs. 3: Lift up your heart and rejoice. For the hour of your mission
is come; and your tongue shall be loosed, and you shall declare glad tidings of
great joy to this generation.
The peace that he would be ok, that he would learn the
language, and be safe instantly filled my soul.
I realize this experience is a rare one. Often answers don’t usually come that
quickly, although they can. It is usually through having a regular habit of
studying His words in the scriptures as well as our Modern day prophets that we
receive a witness that what we are reading and studying are true.
4) The
final step in growing your testimony is to Believe!
Ninth article of faith: We believe
all that God has revealed, all that he does now reveal and we believe that he
will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God
How do we believe?
By putting action to our prayer
and study our faith and our hope.
By acting in His name. Serve, be
charitable, be healthier, shed bad habits, be honest , attend your church
services and the temple, partake of the sacrament, pay your tithes and fast
offerings.
In losing yourself in service to
your Heavenly Father, with a believing heart, blessings will be poured upon
you. Your experiences will strengthen
and grow your testimony.
Sources:
1)Grow your testimony: by Mindy
Raye Friedman, New Era Feb. 2013
2)Alma Chapter 33: Vs. 1, 12, and
22
3) Spencer W. Kimball: TSWK pg. 59
4)2 Nephi 38: 30
5) D & C 31: 3
6) John 5 39
7) Alma 5: 45-46
8) D & C: 8:1
